Travel can be a great opportunity to get away from the daily grind. It means you can carve out time to concentrate on your family and create lifelong memories.
For some, the ideal break is going to a wonderful hotel with everything you need onsite. If that’s what your family needs to switch off and unwind, that’s great. For others, like my family, this does not make for a relaxing holiday. We end up getting restless after a couple of days. My young boys get bored, and then they get whiney. We have the best time as a family when we are exploring new places and activities together.
Here’s a list of some of the reasons why we travel independently, and you might want to consider booking your own adventure:
Freedom
You can decide when you are going to go away, the type of accommodation you stay in and the activities you’re going to do. Independent travel solves lots of travel issues. Only have 5 days to get away and need to leave on a specific date? Need accommodation with two bedrooms and a kitchen without paying the earth? Want to cross off activities from your bucket list? All of these challenges can be sorted with planning and booking your own flights, accommodation and activities separately.
Budget
Tailoring your holiday often means you can do away with extra expenses. A package holiday may include peak cost flights or an organised tour activity that you are not that bothered about. It can often turn out to be cheaper to travel independently as you can search the market for the best deals and create your holiday from different providers.
Set your own pace
Some days you can visit an Instagram-friendly viewpoint or UNESCO site you’ve always wanted to see and others you can just chill out. You don't have to push your family when you are short on energy or patience. You create your own itinerary and follow it when it suits your family.
Fun
Visit some of the best playgrounds in the world, amazing zoos, museums with buttons to press and surprises like a toboggan ride down from the Great Wall of China. There is so much fun to be had when you're in charge of where you go.
Independent travel does take more planning and can be taxing at times but it’s worth it for the memories you make. You will be giving your children experiences that will broaden their horizons. And you’ll hopefully have a great time doing it.